Ace Ortega

Name: Ace "Beats" Ortega

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Grade: 12th Grade

School: George Hunter High School

Hobbies and Interests: Football, Track and Field (100 meter dash) and Hip Hop Music Production

Appearance: Ace Ortega is a dark-skinned youth of Afro-Cuban heritage who stands at an above average height of 6'3" and weighs roughly 180 lbs. Ace's skin is kept free of blemishes due to good genetics paired with a daily moisturizing regimen that he never skips, much to the chagrin and mocking of his football teammates. He is long-limbed, with a wingspan of someone slightly taller than he his and is capable of long strides with his legs. Overall Ace's body is one that has been molded by athletics from a very young age and it is very clear in looking at his well-defined muscular structure. He is someone who has been playing football since he was seven-years-old and his physique definitely shows it and contributes to him regularly being assumed to be in his early to mid twenties as opposed to a teenager.

Ace keeps his curly dark brown hair cropped and when going to the barber his go-to haircut is a 2" on the top with 1" on the sides fade. In spite of his size and grown-up appearance, he is not someone who is capable of growing facial hair beyond a wispy mustache. Because of this he is never seen not clean shaven. His eyes are large and almond shaped, with green irises that constantly seem to be half obscured by his permanently half-closed eyelids. He is someone who's face and head do not necessarily go together, having a long face but very chubby cheeks. Much like his maintenance in terms of grooming and moisturizing, Ace also brushes and flosses after every meal creating his most prized physical trait: a large grin of pearly white teeth that seems capable of stretching from ear to ear. His nose is small and button like contributing more to the idea that his face doesn't really match his head and this is simply exacerbated by his large ears.

In terms of clothing Ace takes upon a minimalist but still very clean sort of style, preferring solid color shirts and jackets paired with dark blue denim jeans. He isn't a big shoe person at all and only owns three pairs: his cleats, a pair of brown loafers and a pair of size 11.5 Adidas Super Star sneakers, he prefers white on white and he cleans them every day for the purpose of keeping them pristine. This attention to detail and dedication to routine are symbolic of his entire fashion sense: Ace is someone who has been dressing like he has been dressing since he was ten years old. He does not plan to change soon for anything or anyone. On the day of the abduction Ace was wearing brown cargo shorts, a navy blue t-shirt and his usual Adidas, a Memphis Tigers baseball cap on his head with the bill facing backwards.

Biography: Chattanooga born and raised, there are few things that jump out immediately when examining Ace's life. He was raised in largely a blue collar fashion with his father, Michael Ortega being a freelance A/C tech and his mother Jaclyn Jackson working as a mail carrier for the local post office. Michael and Jaclyn were never married and stopped being a couple about a year after Ace was born. The separation was an amicable one and Ace was raised in equal parts by both parents changing houses from month-to-month.

The first few years of his life, in spite of his parents separation, generally went by in a peaceful and uneventful blur. He learned to walk, talk, play and explore like most children do. When Ace started school he was an average student but without a doubt a trouble maker. He never had an idea he didn't want to share with the world and he never saw personal space that he wasn't willing to violate for his own amusement.Although he could have been considered a class clown it was nothing malicious aside from routine classroom disruption and the occasional emotional outburst. In first grade, after getting into a fight with a classmate over an action figure at recess, his parents were called in for a conference to discuss their son's repeated bad behavior. Both his first grade teacher and the school counselor suggested getting him involved in organized sports, hoping that an outlet would calm Ace down and give him focus. Both of Ace's parents agreed, eager to find something to control their well intended but overzealous child.

Michael Ortega thought there was only one choice in the South: football.

At the start of the next school year Ace was also enrolled in an Optimist Football league team called the Junior Titans and it was through youth sports that Ace finally found something resembling a talent. He was clearly the fastest kid on the field and quickly became a starting running back on the pee-wee team. Being a football player gave Ace an identity: he was tough, he was gritty, strong, explosive, fast and relentless--at least in his mind.

Throughout elementary school he became content with being just the football player and naturally became obsessed with both professional and college versions of the sport. As early as nine-years-old Ace could be heard telling his parents, writing reports for his teachers and bragging to his friends: he would one day play in the NFL. Football in turn also lead Ace to be more disciplined. He became much more consistent with his personal hygiene and much more adamant in the style of clothes he wished to wear and for the most part the style he chose then is very similar to the style he has now. 5 years into being a pee-wee football player it was clear that Ace was someone who had made leaps and bounds in terms of problem solving, organization and self discipline. The outbursts in class stopped as did the roughhousing, it finally seemed to click to Ace that the only way he could truly express himself was through football as it seemed to be the only thing that had worked so far.

Middle school represented a unique time for Ace, it was here that his love for football was first questioned and the reason why is fairly obvious: Ace started hanging out with a different crowd. This crowd of children were more musically oriented and much more cerebral in their interests which included comic books, anime and computers. It was the last that ended up really grabbing a hold of Ace as it was in the 6th and 7th grade years that he began learning music production software like Ableton and ProTools along with self-teaching himself basic music theory. Just like with football, Ace found a natural outlet for his normally spastic and over enthusiastic behavior and unlike football he didn't have to get sweaty or messy. His friends in middle school also expressed a hatred for jocks and football players especially. It was Ace's desire to be accepted and be a part of a group that forced him to quit the sport that just a year ago he had been obsessed with. It was his decision to quit football in the seventh grade that caused both of his parents a large amount of concern--especially for what it meant for the summer since Ace had gone to a 7 versus 7 football camp for the last five years. No football meant no football camp and that presented issues for care when it came to watching Ace over the summer as they didn't feel comfortable leaving him by himself. His mother usually finished her mail route around the same time school was ending and so it was very rarely a problem during the school year but the summer would be a whole other issue.

Ace's father had a very obvious reaction: if you're not going to play football during the summer then you're going to help work on air conditioners. The summer leading to his eighth grade year and the summer leading to ninth grade had Ace serving as a go-to for his father during repair jobs and generally acting as his assistant. It wasn't long after Ace started high school that he tried out for the football team and the main reason without a doubt being avoiding another summer of working on air conditioning. His father agreed and Ace was freed from another summer of hard labor due to the high school team running off season workouts during the summer.

When Ace joined the junior varsity team his freshman year he was definitely a different player than he had been during his Optimist days and the players around him also had increased in talent, size and skill. It was clear to anyone watching Ace that he joined Football for something to do rather than a childhood passion. For the most part he spent his Freshman year on the JV team on the bench, listening to music from his in-ear headphones hidden by his helmet. He got in trouble for that a lot and was threatened to be kicked off the team more than once due to his perceived lack of dedication. This threat was never followed through upon due to Ace's natural talent and past experience with the game. The general consensus after his Freshman year was that if given the opportunity to shine, Ace usually rose to the occasion and in an attempt to give the boy focus the coaching staff made the decision to give him significantly more reps as a runner his Sophomore year.

He was given the nickname "Beats" by the offensive line during his sophomore year of high school. First, due to his penchant for showing them beats he had created in Ableton and then for a moment during practice where he ran in a 60 yard touchdown that would be called back for holding. Ace didn't know about the penalty because of his headphones blaring music in his ears and he had already begun loudly celebrating. He ran a 60 yard touchdown and about 600 yards in laps that day. For the record his nicknames usually range from situation to situation and person to person but he is commonly referred to the following three versions with utmost frequency: Beats, Ace Beats and AB. His sophomore year had him being named the Most Improved player for the JV squad for the year and Ace having a renewed sense of focus now that he was performing on a high school field and had chances of playing time as opposed to riding the bench.

By the time Ace had reached his junior year, he was promoted to the varsity team and it was here he began to indulge in some of the fruits of the labor of being a star athlete. Either due to myth in his own mind or due to results on the field Ace began to walk around the campus of George Hunter High with his chin held high and his chest puffed out. His junior year was particularly eventful for him and he had a great season rushing for 1500 yards and 25 touchdowns gaining him collegiate attention for the first time. He also joined the Track and Field team during that spring in order to keep in shape where he ran a 10.33 second 100 meter dash and naturally made varsity. Ace enjoys track largely because it kept him in shape for football season but there was also something pure about competing as an individual rather than in a team situation. There was less pressure to succeed in track and field and it was obvious by how he treated the practices: caring little for the work outs and only for the races. While his music and football both relied on collaboration, to a certain extent, Ace felt more comfortable running the 100 meter dash than being on the football field or showing off his music. He could trust his speed, it was his ability to read a defense or properly adjust pitch in ProTools that gave him anxiety.

As a junior, Ace began to focus more on academics but not so much more. The possibility of getting a college scholarship in athletics subconsciously dissuaded him from attempting to really excel in the area of academics. He prefers to skate by and do the bare minimum within the classroom. It is likely that he will graduate with a slightly above average but still ordinary 2.8 GPA. More so than the books he also began focusing on his social life. His ability to create music and post it up online combined with his athletic success gave him some popularity with people outside of the football team within George Hunter High. He maintains a Soundcloud page with around 500 followers and he tends to post mostly Southern Style Trap Hip-hop instrumentals with the occasionally profane and amateurish rapping thrown in for good measure. Objectively and factually, the beats are much better than the rapping. In terms of equipment his parents have invested a lot in recording equipment over five years of Christmas and Birthday presents and Ace has a good home studio with both an iMac, a microphone and an audio-interface within his room paired with an Akai brand midi-keyboard and drum kit.

In spite of being well known and generally well liked, Ace has no friends that he would truly deem best or close. Although over-excitable and overzealous, he is still very much a bit of an island unto himself and very prone to periods where he spaces out within his own mind. He has had women attempt to court him, but he has never had a girlfriend or gone on a non-group date by himself. He's never alone at lunch, but he has rarely invited a friend over to his house or accepted an invitation to theirs. Ace is private as a defense mechanism and introverted as a way to keep control of his spastic tendencies. He is somewhat self aware that he is socially awkward, but also self aware that he is somewhat popular as well and it's clear that he avoids getting too close to any one of his classmates for fear of them realizing how awkward and uncool the music producer jock is (in his own head). A social enigma, an introverted-extrovert, Ace is someone who adores attention but despises a lack of privacy. He is someone who wants to be the baller but also wants to be the bohemian. These somewhat simple complications weigh heavily on Ace's mind and although he is someone who is very much capable and does address all situations with a smile further examination shows it obvious that Ace believes himself to be the only person capable of understanding himself. That weighs on him and causes him to keep his distance from well meaning acquaintances and teammates outside of school.

His senior year has largely continued from the success of his junior year although there have also been improvements as well. Bigger in the SoundCloud community, Ace sells his beats to upcoming rappers and singers as a way of making spare income selling the beats from prices ranging from 20-100 dollars. Ace tries his best to make 3 beats a week but he is lucky if he can sell 3 in 3 months and as such his discretionary income is minimal. He does not own a laptop and so performing live with music he's created on his computer is a no-go. His grades are still average though he has committed to an athletic scholarship from the University of Memphis where along with playing for the football team he also plans to major in Audio Engineering. His senior year was even better than his junior year on the field and he ran for 1785 yards and 23 touchdowns and increased his catching ability due to his highly skilled quarterback adding 400 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns to his rushing numbers.This has what allowed him to commit to a Division 1 school although one outside of the Power 5. In terms of national rankings, Ace is listed as a 3-Star Recruit on Rivals and other scouting websites and he's not expected to be anything but average in college with a Pro career currently a distant possibility. Although he likes to pretend he is a National star, the only Division 1 school to offer him a scholarship as a Running Back was University of Memphis which Ace quickly accepted to avoid the embarrassment of not fulfilling his self fulfilling prophecy.

Another development happened his senior year, his parents, who both had dated others since their separation but neither really long term or seriously ended up rekindling their romance a full 17 years after they had ended it. They are still living separately but the two are much more equally present and Ace has stopped going from his father to his mother's house month to month instead opting to stay with his Mom for the entirety of the year. Ace has mixed feelings on his parents reunion and a part of him really wishes that they could've reconciled as he entered childhood rather than manhood. At home Ace is prone to locking himself up in his room and working on his music in an attempt to escape whatever awkwardness his parents may provide to him.

Not quite a loner and not quite a social butterfly, Ace is someone that is filled with athletic ability but social insecurity and fear of rejection or mockery. He has a bit of an ego due to his athletic prowess and scholarship but also feels outside his peer group due to his hermit like habits outside of football and track practice. Ace is excessively single minded but also ultimately someone who is unwilling to rock the boat for fear of falling off.

Although not having super close relationships in terms of significant others or friends Ace has a great relationship with both of his parents and is very family oriented. He fully admits that he is a total homebody and he is pretty much counting the days until graduation where he can go off to college and hopefully reinvent himself for the last time. This is a young man with quite a few dreams and ambitions but a lot of unsureness in himself and in what he wants to do with the future. An insecurity that he masks with athletic success and relentless creative expression.

Advantages: Ace is physically strong and very fast compared to his classmates and in terms of mental make up his long time experience with computers and programming beats totally within computers have given him a fair amount of critical thinking and problem solving skills. His work with his father as a young teen has also left him decent with his hands and with a basic understanding of mechanics.

Disadvantages: Socially, Ace is very much an awkward combination of someone who talks too much and yet is reticent to say anything relevant. He is a habitual foot-in-mouther with little filter and a poor understanding of reading the room. Ace's reticence to make friends is just as much a reaction to his inability to make close connections as it is a personal choice. Ace is also someone who lacks focus and is prone to be lost in his head quite a bit and lose track of time or his surroundings; outside of a football field or in his music studio he is the definition of a fish out of water.

Designated Number: Male student No. 010

---

Designated Weapon: Smoke grenades x3

Conclusion: Two parts Lucio, one part RG3. I'm digging it, B010. Maybe you can use those grenades to start your sweet rave party before you 'beat' your enemies to death, eh? .... Oof, that one sucked. - Dennis Lourvey

'The above biography is as written by Buko. No edits or alterations to the author's original work have been made.'

Evaluations
Handled by: Buko

Kills: 

Killed By: 

Collected Weapons:  Smoke grenades x3 (assigned weapon)

Allies: Ivy Langley, Amelia Fischer, Declyn Grayson-Anthis, Lori Martin

Enemies: 

Mid-game Evaluation: 

Post-Game Evaluation: 

Memorable Quotes:

Threads
Below are a list of threads containing Ace, in chronological order:

The Past: V7 Pregame: Prom: The Trip: V7: Related Threads in Meanwhile:
 * Freestyle Friday
 * The Gift My Father Gave Me
 * Birds are Smaller and go to the River
 * just let them think there's no place else you'd rather be
 * Bargain Basket Baller
 * In Our Bones
 * Just Dance (#SwiftBall)
 * Cat's in the Cradle
 * Fancy Meeting You Here
 * The Glow Up
 * Gym Class Heroes
 * the world is spinning but only in grey
 * Day One
 * a thug changes and love changes and best friends become strangers
 * and i know no one will save me
 * sweeter than heaven and hotter than hell
 * Three Magic Words
 * Hard World

Your Thoughts
''Whether you were a fellow handler in SOTF or just an avid reader of the site, we'd like to know what you thought about Ace Ortega. What did you like, or dislike, about the character? Let us know here!''